The Loving Tree
by AG.Prentice
Summary: Inspired by the concept of the kissing tree, I wrote this short vignette. It takes place shortly after the Ep. "Mothers and Daughters".


**The Loving Tree**

Autumn was closing in, leaves were starting to turn golden, and the temperatures seemed to grow colder every morning. But that afternoon, the sun was providing a sweet warmth. It simply felt wonderful to be outside, and Grace's Cafe was overflowing with customers enjoying a cup of coffee as well as the weather.

The Clinic was very quiet. The only visits Michaela had received all morning were a patient coming to have stitches removed and Myra bringing her mail, with Samantha in tow. The fair little girl was a real joy to be around, yet Michaela couldn't help but feeling a little melancholy when she bounced Sam on her knee. It made her long for a child even more. How she wanted to give a baby to her husband, the little girl he had wished for!

Soon after lunch, she decided to make the most of this beautiful sunny afternoon, and set off to renew her stock of medicinal herbs. She might not get another opportunity like this until next spring.

As she brought Flash to a swift trot, she started to wonder what Sully was doing. Very possibly fulfilling his duties at Palmer Creek. She would have enjoyed his company, but she had to be reasonable : they both had jobs to do, and they could be together every night, already.

She tried to push back her longing in the recess of her conscience, but to no avail. It felt like a heavy cloak sticking to her skin. Over the last weeks, she had grown more confident about her desire for him and no longer felt embarrassed about that intense, deep-seated desire that would quite often overwhelm her. Usually she would find him close by and more than willing to respond to her need for some _holdin'_.

But not today. He was nowhere in sight, and she had no other choice than to go Hidden Valley on her own. Lost in thoughts of her husband, she barely noticed someone following her on her way to the clearing where she was used to going to pick up most of her plants.

Once there, she dismounted her horse and tethered her to a young oak. That's when she noticed the other rider. For a split second, she wondered if she was having a vision, brought on by her constant thoughts about her husband.

Yet, there he was, smiling that cute little smile that meant so much more than words. He slid smoothly from his horse and hugged his wife.

"I didn't expect to see you this afternoon," she remarked lightly, indicating that she did not mind at all. "What brings you out there?"

"Saw you get out of town, but ya didn't notice me wavin' at ya, didn't even hear me callin'."

"No, I'm sorry, I was... distracted."

"That was pretty obvious. Distracted by what ? "

Michaela laughed : "By you ! "

"Missin' me ? " Sully chuckled softly. He already knew the answer, but it still amazed him that the wonderful woman in his arms loved him as much as he loved her, and that they were happily married. They kissed, time spinning out as they stood wrapped in each other's arms, enjoying this unexpected reunion and their privacy.

How Michaela relished his kisses, his lips so temptingly soft and demanding, his embrace so protective and voluptuous, the invitation unmistakable in his eyes, in his caresses. It would have been so easy to forget everything and simply surrender to their mutual yearning. But they were outdoors, in the open. Granted, for now they were alone, but Michaela could not stand the thought of being caught making love with Sully by anyone, let alone somebody they knew. She flushed scarlet just picturing the situation !

She forced herself to pull back before they'd reach the point of no return. Sully looked bewildered for a second, but recovered quickly, understanding without asking his wife's reticence. She had overcome most of her inhibitions regarding the physical expression of their love, yet, except for their honeymoon, they had always made love in the haven of their home, occasionally straying from their bedroom to the rug by the fireplace downstairs. To him, the glorious day seemed perfect to teach Michaela a new way of enjoying the outdoors. He had noticed her small leather bag for gathering herbs, it provided him with a wonderful excuse.

"Ya know, I still ain't shown ya all the places where you can find the plants you need. Fancy comin' with me ? "

Glad she didn't have to make excuses for interrupting their loving moment, she meekly nodded and followed him.

*** * ***

_(note from the author: I wrote this part listening to "Bloody and Blunt", composed by Harold Budd and the Cocteau Twins. It does enhance the atmosphere...)_

They went deeper into the woods, walking slowly side by side. Sully led their horses to a patch of yellowing grass near a large shrub, on which he tethered the reins, making sure the animals would not break free while he would be busy, then joined his wife near the stream. There were several willows near the bank that would provide enough bark to last Michaela a long winter, with some to spare.

She set to work immediately, scraping the trunk of the largest tree with a small knife, all the while acutely conscious of Sully's presence behind her. She imagined his arm wrapped around her waist, could almost feel his lips caressing her nape tantalizingly... She let out a sudden cry: she had cut herself. She felt silly for her carelessness.

Sully jumped up and rushed to her. "You hurt "? "

"It's nothing, really, just a small cut. I cried out in surprise, it doesn't hurt at all."

"Let me see."

"Sully, I..."

He took her hand: it was true, the cut was barely visible, nothing but a red line on her thumb. Smiling he kissed the injured finger all better. When he looked up, he realized the reason of her uncharacteristic clumsiness. Her feelings were written all over her face, mirroring his own.

The complete seclusion of the place, the mesmerizing murmurs of the stream and the leaves of the trees swaying in the breeze, the chirping birds, the warm scent of the forest under a playful sun that cast dancing, tiny specks of light in the clearing, enhanced all the more the irrepressible attraction they felt.

Tentatively, Michaela reached out to touch Sully's arm, her hand traveling slowly up to his shoulder, his neck, inching closer and closer until she could sense his heart beating as wildly as her own. She was no longer Dr. Michaela Quinn, respected town doctor and council member, no longer Sully's modest wife either. She was a woman at one with her surroundings and the man before her, her love and desire for him like the willows around them : tall, strong, their roots buried deep and wide beneath the surface. Gone too, were her concerns about being seen or heard. She only cared about being with Sully, here and now.

Following his wife's lead, Sully leant against the trunk, dipping his head to meet her eager lips. The ensuing kiss was all-consuming, abandoned. Feeling her knees threatening to buckle, she clung with all her might to his shoulders, reveling in the firm muscles under the soft cotton of his shirt. She tugged impatiently at the garment so she could slip her hands underneath and caress his skin. How intoxicating it felt, silken under her fingertips, its scent permeating her senses ! Oh that unique, heady fragrance of him !

She gasped when she felt his warm hands searching under her skirt and petticoats for the drawstrings of her bloomers. He skillfully untied them, unfastened her garters, baring her buttocks and legs, his ministrations causing her to writhe and moan as her arousal went up another notch. Weak under the weight of her emotions she sank to the moss-covered ground, bringing Sully down with her.

Hovering above her, Sully studied the exquisite sight of his wife, half-undressed, her green-gold eyes darkened with passion, her nostrils and lips trembling with her ragged breathing, her hair fanned out like a coppery aura.. How could he resist ?

The urgency they felt to become one drove them to join their bodies without further ado. Nature cradled them, accompanying their dance of love with its own rhythm, as waves of pleasure engulfed them into a glowing, billowing enchantment in which nothing else but their love for one another existed...

Some time later, they were still lying in the shade of the willow, quietly enjoying each other's presence.

For once, Sully was the first to speak . "I gotta say, ya surprised me.."

"How ? "

"Thought ya'd be uncomfortable makin' love out in the woods, 'specially with the way ya reacted when we were in Hidden Valley."

Back to her bashful self, Michaela blushed furiously. She gulped, hesitating a few seconds before answering : "I'm surprised, too. I really don't know what's happened to me. All I can say is that I've been needing to be with you all day and... well..."

Sully interrupted her with a long, loving kiss to convey his appreciation. Those unguarded moments, when she was able to lay aside her proper Bostonian upbringing, were precious to him, and he was more than a little proud to be the one to bring out this untamed side of her.

"Well, I _did_ tell ya that anytime you needed holdin', to just ask. Let's say today, ya wouldna say the words out loud, but your body sure told me in its own way," he teased. Michaela couldn't help chuckling with him. Is she was honest with herself, she had rather enjoyed this unrestrained encounter. It had felt so simple, so natural, so... _wild_ !

"We'll have to come back here, won't we ?" She suggested dreamily.

"Yeah, it will be our loving tree... the same way there used to be the kissing tree..."

"It's a lovely idea... as long as we don't have to share it with other couples," Michaela remarked. They laughed together and shared a few more kisses, before reluctantly getting up. While Michaela was straightening her clothes and tidying her hair, Sully had taken his knife out and started carving a large M+S in the wood, as a reminder of this stolen moment. Daily routine may call them back, they would always remember this one hour away form everything, here in this little corner of Heaven. One of many more to come...

**THE END**


End file.
